


Nap in a Tulip

by startlingirony



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Wu Yifan, Luhan is very sweet :), M/M, No Smut, One Shot, light fluff, wholesome content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:43:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28779972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startlingirony/pseuds/startlingirony
Summary: Luhan goes flower picking for his mother one day.
Relationships: Lu Han & Wu Yi Fan | Kris
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Nap in a Tulip

“Okay, I’m going out!” Luhan announced to his mother as he approached the front door. “I’m going to pick flowers and berries in the forest, mom.” 

“Alright,” his mother replied from the kitchen. “Don’t forget your basket, and be sure to be home by the time the sun starts setting, okay?” She was glad her son was going to pick fresh berries, as Luhan’s birthday was approaching and she needed them for a pie. 

“Of course, mom,” Luhan replied cheerily, opening the door. He stepped outside, the cool spring air hitting his uncovered skin. He clutched his basket as he closed the door behind him, making sure not to accidentally slam it. 

Beginning down the pleasant stone path, Luhan glanced back to the quaint little cottage he and his dear mother lived in. They had lived in it since before he was born, his mother often told him stories of how his grandfather had built it from the ground up years ago. It was holding up well, despite the age. The stone held strong and the wooden roof, when cared for, showed no blemishes. It was small, but Luhan liked it, it was home. He liked sitting on his bed, gazing out the window at the butterflies and hummingbirds drinking nectar from the flowers growing up the side of the wall. 

But he wasn’t looking for the flowers growing on the sides of walls. Right now, he was gently strolling through some light foliage, his eyes fixed on the forest floor. He was searching for rose bushes and newly-bloomed red and pink tulips that came back every year without fail. He came to a clearing he often returned to, seeing that the tulips had come up in the same spots they always did.

Luhan decided to go after the roses first. He knelt by the thick bush, proceeding carefully. He slowly plucked a few red roses from the bush, skillfully avoiding the sharp thorns that hid within the dark leaves. After harvesting about eight of them, he was satisfied, and he stood with the basket clasped in his right hand. 

This time Luhan approached the tulips, gently kneeling next to them in the dewey grass. He gently picked them, placing a few of the colorful into his basket next to the roses. He always made sure to leave plenty of the stem and leaves left on the plant to make sure they would be able to live, he would feel bad if he killed the plants. Luhan pushed some of his dark curly hair out of his eyes as he placed the last tulip in the basket. 

Luhan stood and began a new search for the ripe blackberries that grew in thickets scattered amongst the trees and flowers. He also wouldn’t mind finding a few strawberries or apples, it had been such a long time since he had fresh fruit. 

The boy took several hours wandering through the forest, but not really getting lost. He knew where he was, and he knew how to get home. He had picked enough fruit to fill his basket, which was packed to the brim with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, a few apples, and the flowers he had already gathered. 

It was time for the boy to return home. Sharp golden rays of lights were beginning to peek through the trees, telling him the sun was on its way down. He had begun the trek when he heard a twig snap behind him, drawing his eyes up to the sound. Luhan smiled when he saw the sound was only a baby deer faun and its mother gently strolling through the forest, nibbling on leaves and flowers as they pleased. He slowly approached them, gently offering an apple to the pair of deer. The mother glanced at Luhan apprehensively, but she let him come closer. The faun took a step forward, slowly taking the apple from Luhan’s hand. 

The boy beamed, his adorable smile stretching ear to ear. He gently took a few steps back, not wanting to disturb them.

“I’ll leave plenty of apples for you, don’t worry,” Luhan said reassuringly, gently bowing his head to the deer. “We can share.” He smiled and stepped father away from the deer before turning away from them. He was going home for real this time, excited to show his mother how much fruit he had gathered. 

The walk took no more than a few minutes, and soon he was outside the front door. Luhan gently pulled the heavy wooden door open, stepping inside. He took his shoes off and left them by the door, walking into the kitchen with his basket.

“Mother, I’m home! I brought lots of fruit and flowers,” Luhan announced walking up to his mother who was seated by a window, sipping a cup of tea. 

She looked up at him from the piece of clothing she was stitching back together with a smile. “Give me the basket, let me see what you’ve brought. Come sit,” she said gently, holding her hand out to Luhan. Luhan excitedly gave her the basket, sitting on the dark wooden chair across the table from her. 

She began taking the fruits and berries out of the basket, looking more and more pleased as she counted them. “You’ve done wonderfully, Luhan. I’ll be able to make a fine pie for your birthday. Your father will be back from the market tomorrow, and hopefully with some wheat for the dough. Yes, this will do wonderfully. I can make dyes from the flowers too,” she explained. “Here, why don’t you take a tulip? I’ll get you a little jar of water and you can put it in your room.” She kindly extended a little orange tulip to her son.

Luhan excitedly took it, smiling as he looked over the petals. They were mostly a deep orange, but closer to the stem the orange blended into a brilliant, deep red. “Thank you, mother!” His eyes were sparkling as he looked over the pretty flower. He was in a good mood today. 

He watched as his mother got up and fetched a small clay jar, stepping outside to scoop some rainwater into it. After she had collected the water from the barrel, she returned and handed it to Luhan, who gently took it. He slipped the tulip into the jar and hurried to his room. He sat on the bed facing the windowsill and set the tulip down next to the old foggy glass. Luhan, being a young boy turning thirteen in a few days, didn’t care much for decoration. He did, however, enjoy the vibrant colors of the flower. 

* * *

The next morning Luhan was sleeping soundly, snuggled warmly in his woolen blanket when something gentle disturbed his rest. It was a soft rustling, and the sound of water being moved around. The boy slowly opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them as he started looking around for the nuisance that had disturbed the silence of the house. 

In the dim early morning light he was able to make out a slight movement. The tulip, still in its jar on the windowsill, was gently trembling. He slowly sat up in his bed, looking at the tulip closely as it shook. He watched as one of the petals was slowly pushed aside by a small hand, and a very tiny person sat down on one of the tulip’s leaves. The small person gave off a dim, yellow glow.

Luhan recognized what was sitting before him immediately. The tulip he had picked had been the chosen napping spot of a forest fairy, and he had accidentally taken the fairy home. He said nothing, afraid he might scare the pretty creature away. He had only heard stories of fairies from the children in the village when he would occasionally go with his mother to get his shoes fixed. 

Luhan thought this fairy was very pretty. He had long pretty black hair, part of it tied into a bun on the top of his head. The fairy’s long, pointy ears were decorated by many golden rings and some jewels, most of them varying shades of green. He wore dark green clothing that looked like silk, but Luhan wasn’t sure, he’d only seen silk once in his life. 

The fairy slowly stretched and he hoisted himself up from the petal, stretching his wings. Luhan thought they looked like a dragonfly’s wings, they were large and round and green with some round, deep blue spots.. The boy watched the fairy begin to fly a bit, obviously still groggy from taking such a long nap.

It was then that the fairy realized he had an audience. Luhan blinked at the small creature and he backed up a little bit. The fairy, not quite sure what to do, simply stayed there in the air, his wings fluttering quickly to keep himself steady. 

“Uhm,” Luhan began, trying to explain himself. He knew that fairies were skittish, but they could also be serious troublemakers, sometimes even dangerous. The boy decided to proceed with caution. “I, I accidentally picked your flower, I’m sorry. You can take the flower back if you’d like.” 

The fairy looked quite surprised still, like he still wasn’t quite sure what to do. Slowly, the fairy returned to his flower, peeking at Luhan from the top of the petals. Luhan suddenly made another observation about this fairy; he looked young. Almost like a child himself.

“I can let you outside if you want, I’m sure your friends are worried that you’ve been gone for so long,” Luhan continued, still not moving from where he sat on his bed. He paused, thinking for a moment before speaking. “Do you… do you have a name?” 

The fairy slowly looked up, peeking his head out from over the orange petal of the tulip. The fairy’s voice was very quiet, and timid, but it still spoke. “My… my name is Yifan,” he said gently.

Luhan was very pleased by this answer, and he gave a radiant smile. “Yifan, that’s a nice name. My name is Luhan, I’m turning thirteen in four days,” he replied, hoping the fairy would stay if they kept talking. 

“Lu...han,” Yifan said gently. “I think… I’m eleven? According to you people.” He was very shy, he reminded Luhan of those kids in the village that would hide in their mothers’ aprons and skirts. 

“Oh, you’re big like me!” Luhan exclaimed, causing the fairy to quickly retreat into the flower. “Oh- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just excited. I’ve never met a fairy before.”

It took a moment before Yifan’s curiosity got the best of him and he slowly peeked out at Luhan again. “I’ve never met a… a person before. I’m not supposed to, and you all look big and scary sometimes,” Yifan said meekly. “Are you scary like some of the others are?”

“I don’t think so, I saw some deer yesterday and I gave one of them an apple and they weren’t scared of me,” Luhan explained. “Usually the big and scary people make the deer run away.”

“I like the deer,” Yifan said, slowly coming out of the flower. “The deer are very nice, and if the deer like you, then that’s good.” There was a gentle pause as Yifan turned to the window. It had gotten brighter outside, the sun was slowly coming up over the tree-ridden horizon. The small fairy looked back to Luhan. “Um, my mother will begin looking for me soon, she must be worried.”

Luhan nodded and quickly got up, kneeling by the windowsill. “I can open the window for you, it’s okay,” he offered. He paused. “Would you like some fruit before you go? You must be hungry. I can get you a raspberry or a blackberry.”

Yifan gave it some thought, landing on the windowsill. “Could I have a raspberry? I’m a little hungry,” he said meekly, fidgeting with his sleeves.

“Okay. Follow me,” Luhan said gently, not wanting to be so loud that he woke his sleeping mother. He got off the bed and looked to Yifan, who had begun flying over to him quickly. “Wow, you’re fast. Just like a dragonfly.”

Yifan paused. “Wait, let me show you something. Close your eyes,” he said gently, coming closer to the older boy. Luhan obliged, shutting his eyes tightly. A beat passed before Yifan spoke again. “Okay, open them.”

Luhan was surprised by what he saw. Yifan was no longer a small, tiny fairy that could fit in the palm of his fairy, but he was now about Luhan’s size, albeit somewhat taller. “Now I am your size. It will be easier for me to follow you,” he said, looking down to Luhan with a very slight but friendly smile.

Luhan blinked, looking over Yifan closer now. The younger boy before him looked the exact same, just larger. He still had his large dragonfly wings, which he folded down behind him so he would hit them on the walls. Luhan was able to look at him in greater detail, noticing the small freckles on his skin and the small live white flowers blooming in his hair. He could tell that Yifan was in no way human, he was a being of pure magic. He literally emitted a yellow light, illuminating the room, while the jewels adorning his wrists and neck and ears and fingers glowed a deep green.

“You’re pretty, Yifan,” Luhan admitted gently, taking the boy’s hand. Yifan jumped slightly but he didn’t protest to the advance. “I’ll get you as many berries as you want. I picked a lot for mother yesterday and she should have some to spare. And I can always get more.” He quietly led him to the main room, which they used as a kitchen and a dining room. There was a fireplace and a wooden table and chairs, made of dark, rickety old wood. There were cabinets made of the same wood, as well as some counter space. Luhan made sure to tip-toe, not wanting to agitate the creaky wood floor that would disturb his sleeping mother. Yifan picked up on Luhan’s sneakiness and he followed suit.

Luhan approached the counters, letting go of Yifan’s hand. Yifan watched as Luhan fetched a small jar labelled “raspberries” from one of the cabinets. He took the lid off and he offered the glazed clay jar to Yifan after snatching a berry for himself. 

The fairy slowly accepted the berry jar, looking over the inscription written on it. He glanced into the jar, slowly taking a berry and eating it. Yifan was slowly beginning to trust Luhan, seeing as the boy hadn’t attacked him and was now giving him good, real food. After eating a few more berries, the sound of a rooster cut through the comfortable silence of night.

“Ah, the chicken is awake,” Luhan said, taking the jar and replacing the lid on its top. “You should go home so your mother doesn’t worry too much, Yifan. My mother will wake up soon and I don’t want her to see you. I need to get back to bed.” He placed the jar within the cabinet on the wall, swinging the door shut. 

Yifan nodded, asking Luhan to close his eyes again. He shrunk down into a tiny fairy again, his wings quickly buzzing as he flew close to Luhan. “Okay, open your eyes again,” he softly ordered.

“Will you come back, Yifan?” Luhan inquired as he opened his eyes. He began walking to the front door. 

“Maybe I’ll see you in the forest again someday,” Yifan whispered as he followed Luhan to the large doorframe. 

Luhan opened the heavy wooden door for Yifan, watching as the fairy quickly flew out. He saw the small creature pause and turn back around, waving at Luhan before disappearing into the foggy morning air. The boy shivered and closed the door, hurrying back to his bed and tucking himself in warmly. 

* * *

Luhan started visiting the forest often, hoping he would find Yifan again. He was simply mysticized by the thought of meeting with the magical creature again, he wanted the fairy to be his friend. Whenever his mother got curious as to why he was spending so much time amongst the trees, he said he simply enjoyed the peace, which seemed to settle her a bit.

It was a long while before they saw each other again. Luhan was out for his routine fruit picking, his basket in hand. He was picking flowers as well, as his mother needed dyes for wool yarns she made to sell in the village. The boy, now nearing sixteen years old, had developed a habit of checking the flowers he picked for fairies. He hadn’t accidentally woken any fairies in a while, but he had discovered quite a few disgruntled butterflies and bees. 

Luhan had begun a bit of a garden in the clearing behind his house. He grew vegetables from the seeds of wild vegetables he had picked, and he had planted flowers in neat little rows alongside the vegetables. He would retrieve any flowers and vegetables he couldn’t grow himself from the forest. Luhan was seated on his knees beside the edge of the garden, picking the flowers. Upon picking one particularly beautiful blood orange tulip, he noticed it was heavier than most flowers are. Peering into the flower’s petals, he realized this flower was occupied by a familiar looking creature. It was Yifan, tucked into the tulip for a nap.

Upon seeing that it was in fact Yifan, Luhan broke into a big smile. He didn’t want to wake the fairy, but he really wanted to speak to him after all this time. He gently shook the flower, calling for him. “Yifan, Yifan. It’s me, Luhan,” he gently spoke. 

Yifan began to awake from his slumber, beginning to glow. He let out a familiar dim yellow light, but as he woke up it became brighter. Upon opening his eyes, he seemed frightened to see a human, but he relaxed when he slowly recognized the boy before him. The fairy slowly sat up, stretching as he tried to work the sleep from his body. Yifan fluttered his large wings, slowly buzzing up to Luhan. “We meet again, I see,” the creature proclaimed. He looked pleasantly surprised to see Luhan again.

“We do,” Luhan agreed. “Where have you been? It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you last.” He set the flower in the basket he had beside him. 

“Time does not have as much of an effect on me as it does you. I simply lost track of time,” Yifan commented. With a bright flash of sparkling light, Yifan had grown to his full size again. He seemed to be aging alongside Luhan, he looked to be an adolescent now rather than a child. Yifan’s hair had gotten much longer, and the small flower buds that lived within his hair were now growing into magnificent blossoms. He wore magnificent robes spun of fine silk, still wearing the same deep shade or jade green he had worn years before. They were adorned with golden patterns, beautiful golden flowers and leaves decorating the fabric. 

“Why did you ask me to close my eyes when you did that before?” Luhan questioned as he stood, holding the basket to his side. 

“I was still learning how to do it at that point, it would have been embarrassing for me to have done it improperly in front of a human I was unfamiliar with,” Yifan explained, standing as well. He had only gotten taller, the gap between the top of their heads was growing despite Luhan being older. 

“Let’s talk in the forest, that way no one will spot you. Let me drop my basket off first, I will be right back,” Luhan stated quickly before making a hasty trip into the stone home. 

While Luhan was gone, Yifan’s gaze fell to the quaint little garden Luhan had cultivated. He smiled and began to run his hands over the different plants, blessing them with good luck that would lead to fast growth and healthy harvests. The carrots would grow large, the flowers would bloom brilliantly, and the tomatoes would explode with flavor. Yifan enjoyed seeing plants well cared for, as he was very connected to plants himself, so he was satisfied by Luhan’s garden. The fairy’s internal ramblings were interrupted by Luhan’s return, which drew his gaze back to the boy. 

Luhan approached him, smiling gently. “Do you like it? The garden?” He asked, looking from Yifan to the neat little rows of plants sprouting from the earth.

“I do, you take good care of it,” Yifan cooed gently. He began to walk, his long wings folded behind himself yet again as he made his way into the forest. Luhan followed him, walking beside him. 

“What do you do when you’re not napping, Yifan?” Luhan inquired as they entered the forest. It was a relief to escape the hot sun under the beautiful green foliage. 

“I don’t yet have a particular job amongst my own kind, so I simply enjoy wandering around the forest. I help plants sprout and grow, I make sure animals and people have plenty of fruits and vegetables to eat. I also enjoy playing little tricks on people who get too greedy. Should they take too many fruits, or cut down too many trees, I’ll sour their milk or rot their bread. One particularly greedy man had his bed frame break on him in the middle of the night, right as he had drifted off to sleep,” Yifan monologued as they strolled. 

Luhan gave a chuckle. “It’s important work you do, Yifan,” he commented. The pair took a seat in some grass under a tree, shaded by the leaves of the large oak. 

“What do you do, Luhan?” Yifan asked, sitting comfortably in the grass.

“I help my mother. She spins wool into yarn, and then dyes them. She makes fabric too. So I help her by caring for and shearing the sheep, collecting flowers and berries for her dyes, collecting food for us to eat, and keeping her company. My father is gone a lot, he often stays in the village to sell the fabrics and yarn. She gets lonely a lot, so it’s good for me to stay with her,” Luhan explained, leaning against the tree. “She taught me to read and write and do many things, she’s a good mother.”

Yifan nodded, looking at Luhan. He didn’t notice, but the flowers in his hair were forming very large blooms, and the grass surrounding them was now filled with flowers. He was comfortable with Luhan now, and when he liked someone, the environment around him would start to change. 

Luhan noticed the flowers growing quickly from the ground, and the flowers blooming in Yifan’s hair. “How are you doing that? It’s cute,” he said with a smile.

“It… it happens when I’m happy,” Yifan said shyly. He began to pick the small flowers surrounding them, weaving them into a small crown. When he was done knotting the stems together, he placed the crown of daisies on Luhan’s head. 

Luhan smiled when he was given the crown. “Thank you,” he said, his cheeks a light pink. He plucked a little yellow daisy from the ground and he tied it into a little ring. “Here, give me your hand, Yifan.” The fairy slowly offered his hand, watching as Luhan gently slid the little flower ring onto his middle finger. “There. You gave me a crown, I gave you a ring.”

Yifan’s ears became red and he looked at the little ring. He gently ran one of his fingers over it, charming it so that it would forever live on his finger without withering. 

They spent the day together, talking about each other’s worlds and watching as the sky became dark with clouds. It began to gently rain, the sound calming Luhan. He always enjoyed watching rain, he knew they would have fresh water to drink at home and their garden was being watered. The older boy began feeling sleepy, and he decided to lay down in the dry grass under the tree.

Yifan looked to Luhan and he smiled a little, taking his outer robe off and laying it over Luhan. “Go ahead and rest a while. I can wake you up in a while if you’d like,” he cooed gently. Luhan slowly moved his head into Yifan’s lap, beginning to doze off. Yifan slowly ran a cautious hand through the human’s hair. It was then that Yifan decided he would protect Luhan to the best of his ability.

* * *

Yifan started visiting Luhan often. They would sit under a tree in the forest, or in a clearing, talking about different plants or how Luhan’s sheep were doing or how Yifan’s mother was doing.. Luhan was teaching Yifan to read and write, something Yifan had requested. 

“Here, try writing your name again. Yi-fan,” Luhan coached, guiding Yifan’s hand as the fairy moved the quill across parchment. 

“Like this?” Yifan asked, slowly writing his name. He had finally written his own name, smiling gently at the syllables written on the page. It looked a little shaky and it didn’t look as good as when Luhan wrote it, but he was proud of himself. 

Luhan grinned. “That’s it! Good job, Fan!” He exclaimed, pulling the younger boy into a hug. 

Yifan’s cheeks reddened a little, he still wasn’t used to how affectionate and cuddly Luhan was. But he absolutely didn’t mind it, he had grown to truly enjoy Luhan’s embrace. “Thank you for teaching me,” he gently replied. 

“Okay, let's go back to reading a little bit. I know you’re enjoying the book,” Luhan said, leaning against the tree they frequently rested under. He retrieved the book he had been reading to Yifan from his bag, patting the grass next to him. 

Yifan settled onto the spot Luhan had beckoned him to, looking into the book. He liked when Luhan read to him, it was calming and his imagination got to run wild. There were a selection of books Luhan would read to Yifan. One was a book about fairies he had bought in the village, and they liked going through and laughing at some of the incorrect facts within the book. Yifan’s favorite book was one about the adventures of two children that would solve fun little mysteries. 

Luhan began reading, sitting close to Yifan so the fairy could see the pictures and words within the book. As he read, Yifan’s flowers bloomed fully, the closeness to Luhan and the content of the book exciting him. He held a flower in his hands tightly as he peered at the book, trying his best to follow along with Luhan as the older one read aloud. Yifan subconsciously twisted the stem between his fingers as he watched, eyes sparkling.

Luhan read to Yifan until they had finished the chapter, closing the book. The fairy had been listening intently, but he looked a little bit sleepy now. He was resting his head against Luhan’s shoulder. 

“We should get you home before it gets dark,” Luhan said, standing. He placed the book within his bag again and when he glanced over to Yifan, who was his regular, tiny size again now. 

They left the tree in the clearing, making their way deeper to the forest. Yifan hadn’t shown Luhan where he lived just out of precaution, but they had a spot where they usually said goodbye. Yifan yawned as he said goodbye, waving before flying off. 

Luhan was just about to leave when he heard a sudden loud noise. He turned around and saw a group of men, most likely hunters, holding an oddly glowing jar. Before Luhan could realize what was happening, they fled quickly on foot, and Luhan comprehended the situation. 

The men had captured Yifan. They had seen the glowing fairy out in the open and they had jarred him. Luhan knew he had to do something, but what on earth would he do? He was still just a kid, he wouldn't be able to fight off some possibly armed adults. Regardless, he still took off after the hunters, his body cutting through the air as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. 

“Yifan!” Luhan screamed, hoping his words would reach his bottled friend. “Yifan, I’m coming!” He was beginning to tire, but he was gaining on the two hunters. Feeling motivated, he sprinted towards the men. 

Yifan, within the jar, turned around to see Luhan chasing after him. “No, Luhan! They’re too dangerous! Don’t let them hurt you!” He pleaded, banging his hands against the thick glass of the jar that encaptured him. The cork plugging the jar closed silenced his voice, so no one could hear him. 

The two men approached their horses that they had left grazing on the forest’s perimeter, and quickly untethered them. The hunters were gone before Luhan even got to the forest’s edge, gone towards the village with foul intentions. 

Luhan fell to his knees, feeling rather devastated that his best friend had been snatched away so easily and there was nothing he could have done. An angry fire burned within him, an anger directed at the men that had just snatched Yifan from the forest, plucked him from thin air and encased him. He knew he needed to do something, he needed to rescue his friend, he just needed help. 

But who could help him? Luhan couldn’t risk exposing Yifan’s existence to more people, so he couldn’t go to humans for help. But who would help him? A warm tear slipped from his eye, tumbling down his cheek as he desperately looked around for assistance. He spoke not a word, eyes scanning the flora amongst him for some sort of aid. 

Slowly, a group of small glimmering figures emerged from the trees and bushes around him, a few of them approaching Luhan. They peered at him curiously, looking between each other and the human. 

A fairy, one with long dark hair braided back with orange ribbons, fluttered close to Luhan. This fairy had the wings of a monarch butterfly instead of Yifan’s dragonfly wings. He had kind eyes, his small dark pupils clouded with worry.

Luhan gazed up at the fairy, wiping his damp eyes. “A fairy?” he questioned gently. “Can… can you help me? We need to go rescue Yifan, h-he’s been taken! By some hunters!” He began to lose his composure, chewing on his bottom lip as he started to sniffle.

The fairy before him came closer, putting his tiny hand on Luhan’s. “Maybe we  _ can _ help you,” he said calmly, trying to comfort the poor adolescent. “My name is Junmyeon. Yifan is a close friend of mine, I would be glad to help you.”

Luhan’s wobbling lip curled into a gentle smile. “Really? What can I do?” he asked, looking hopeful.

“I think it would be best to consult our Queen. This isn’t the first time we’ve encountered these specific hunters, but this is the first time they’ve successfully captured one of us. Our Queen might be able to help us,” Junmyeon explained. 

“Of course, but we should hurry, I don’t want to risk the men selling him or exposing the existence of fairies,” Luhan stuttered. He then gave a pause. “Wait, aren’t I too big? How will I see your Queen if I’m this big?”

Junmyeon nodded assuringly. “I know what to do. Kyungsoo, do you have a little bit of enchanted powder left from your last batch?” he asked a fairy gently floating in the air beside him. 

The fairy, adorned in blue clothing with silver accents, nodded. This one, named Kyungsoo, had huge blue morpho butterfly wings that fluttered slower to keep him up. He reached into a small bag he was carrying, handing a bag of glittering powder to Junmyeon. “Here, this should be enough,” he said quietly.

Junmyeon nodded, addressing Luhan again. “Okay. I will sprinkle this powder on you, and it will make you our size for a limited time. We will go into our village and speak with the Queen for strategy, then we will rescue Yifan,” he explained, holding up the rough hewn bag. 

Luhan nodded. “Okay,” he put his head down and closed his eyes as Junmyeon began pouring the shining dust onto him, the small grains of magic powder tickling his skin. When he opened his eyes again everything surrounding him was huge, and he was the size of the fairies around him. He himself had the wings of a luna moth, only allowing him to fly temporarily. 

“Follow us, we need to hurry,” Junmyeon said, taking Luhan’s hand and guiding him up into the air. The human adapted quickly, tailing after the group of fairies quickly with his own buzzing wings. 

Luhan was led into a hollowed out tree that looked completely normal at first glance. He watched as Junmyeon led the group to a hole on the side of the tree that was covered with sticks and leaves, seemingly sealed by fairy magic. The boy watched as Junmyeon and Kyungsoo moved the coverings aside, leading to what seemed to be a portal.

Luhan went through the portal with the others, absolutely amazed to see where it led. It looked like the forest they had just left, but it was filled with fairy homes. 

“We hide in here so the humans won’t find us while we sleep,” a taller fairy named Chanyeol began as he flew next to Luhan. He was adorned with red silks, gold, and rubies, his wings those of the red lacewing butterfly. Chanyeol held a spear, he looked like a warrior or some sort of personal guard. “No one has ever been able to find us here, so it’s safe.” He pointed to the building they were approaching, it was a beautiful castle made of stone with jade adornments throughout the structure. “This is the palace, we will find the Queen there.”

* * *

“Bring the boy forward, I would like to speak with him,” Luhan heard the Fairy Queen say through the door. 

Luhan was brought before the Queen, feeling a smidge guilty and nervous in her presence. He spoke not a word, keeping his head bowed as he was addressed. 

“Tell me what has happened to my son, dearest boy,” the Queen began, her facial expression stern but without anger or harshness. 

Luhan looked up to her with concern in his eyes. “Your son? I’m sorry Your Highness-,” he paused before taking a breath. “Yifan and I have been friends for a while. He would come to visit me sometimes. I had just said goodbye to him and I had turned around when he was snatched. They put him into a glass jar. The two hunters that snatched him are horrible, they overhunt and take things that aren’t theirs. I tried to chase them but they climbed onto their horses and made away with Yifan.”

The Queen listened before taking a moment to think. “Do you have any clue where they may run off to? We could always infiltrate and break my son out of the jar. We could then return him home safely, should you know his whereabouts,” she explained, her dark red lips pressed together in near anger. 

“They have a hut just outside the village, my father sometimes goes to buy meat from them,” Luhan began. “I’ve been there with him. There are a few holes in the roof we could sneak in through.”

The Queen nodded. “You will be responsible for leading a squad of soldiers into the house to retrieve him,” she stated. “We must retrieve him before they make a show of it.”

Luhan nodded, and it was decided. A platoon of soldiers was selected to act as a strike team, and they would advance once the sun set. It wouldn’t be long now before it would be dark enough. 

Once dusk set in, the group made their way through the exit of the fairy forest towards the village. Luhan led them to the hunters’ hut, armed with a spear gifted to him by Chanyeol. He knew the way to the village well, so travelling didn’t take very long on the new set of wings he was becoming more and more accustomed to. Within ten minutes they were approaching the home, hiding under flowers and within bushes to conceal themselves from humans’ gazes. 

Luhan fluttered over to the window, dark eyes peering into the pitch black room. He spotted the two hunters, asleep on their hay bale beds. There was a piece of the window missing, where it had cracked and was perfectly sized for Luhan and his group to slip through. He waved the soldiers forward, creeping one by one into the room. 

The search began for the fairy prince, Luhan searching for Yifan by the light glow the boy emitted. He was quietly fluttering around the room, worriedly checking under everything, every nook and cranny. After a long while, Luhan finally found the jar Yifan was in, hidden on a table under a pile of clothes. The prince was asleep, hiding under his wings and curled up. He was shivering gently.

Luhan began knocking on the glass, trying to wake him up. “Yifan,” he called. “Yifan, we have to get you out of here!” He knocked harder, worried Yifan was injured.

Yifan slowly began to stir, lifting one of his wings to peek at the person disturbing him. He was groggy, not feeling well from anxiety, but when he recognized Luhan he sat up to look at him. “Get me out of here, Luhan, I don’t feel well,” he whined, weakly moving over to where Luhan was. His glow was dimmer that usual, it was clear he needed help.

Luhan nodded. “Sit back, we’re going to break the jar,” he said, waving the soldiers over. “Let’s push the jar off the desk so it shatters.” 

The men nodded and started pushing, nudging the jar closer to the edge. After heaving and heaving, the jar finally fell off the table, shattering loudly. The hunters awoke the disturbance to see about a dozen fairies scurrying out of the room with their prince through the broken window. Yifan had successfully escaped, and no one would ever believe what the two men had seen.

* * *

Yifan took only a week to recover. He had struggled with a lack of oxygen in the jar, as well as getting tossed around and bruised within the jar. Luhan was allowed to visit him, not revered as a hero. Despite being a human, he was now basically a citizen of the fairy forest and was able to visit whenever he wished. 

The two boys were sitting outside the palace in a little garden, flowers growing around them in organic and ornate formations. They sat in a patch of grass under an oak tree that sheltered them from the light sprinkles of rain that were sweeping through. 

Yifan looked over to Luhan and slowly took his hand, his cheeks as red as the rubies that decorated him. “Thank you for saving me,” he mumbled gently. 

“You would have done it too,” Luhan said, beaming at the prince. 

“I mean it, I thought I was going to die,” Yifan said, pouting ever so slightly. 

“I was scared too, but I’m just glad you’re okay,” Luhan said, running his hand over one of the healing bruises on Yifan’s arm. 

Yifan blushed a bit more, slowly leaning his head against Luhan’s shoulder. “Can you stay by my side?”

Luhan nodded and kissed Yifan’s forehead gently, his cheek a light pink. “Of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for being so patient with me while I have been gone!


End file.
